Is Spiders Elite Youth Baseball of Parker, CO a Fit for Your Child?

As a caring parent, I know you want what’s best for your child. And finding the right baseball team to best prepare your child for high school may just be one of your challenges.

Are the Spiders right for you?

Ask yourself these questions…

Will Your Child be 12 in 2016?

The Spiders currently only offer a 12u team, meaning players will be 12 and under. However, the goal is to assemble a team of kids who will be in sixth grade during the 2015-16 school year.

Some kids will be 12 prior to May 1 (making them league aged 12). Some will be 12 later in the year. As long as they are a fit for the Spiders, it doesn’t matter whether they are league aged 11 or 12.

We’ll also consider seventh graders who happen to be league aged 12, but most if not all of these players will be in sixth grade.

Do You Live in Parker, CO?

It is not a requirement that you live in Parker, CO, but the Spiders are ideal for you if you are. We practice at Bardo’s in Parker, so this will make travel easiest for anyone already living in the area.

One of the reasons this team was started in the first place was because my family has long commuted to Aurora for all three of our boys. As a parent, time is valuable, and we want to limit the amount of unnecessary driving if we can.

Will Your Child Go to Chaparral High School?

Again, this isn’t a requirement, but it was a motivating factor for starting the Spiders. We wanted to create an atmosphere where our sons could play with other kids who have consistent plans.

Our boys have had a blast playing baseball over the years and they’ve made numerous friends, but there’s something special about playing with the kids you go to school with. This gives them the additional bond that they can share in and out of the classroom.

Is Your Child Already Playing Tournament Baseball?

We’re setting aggressive goals for the Spiders, but we hope to be a low majors team by the end of 2016. As a result, we want to attract kids who are already playing at a high level — or are the top players while at a step below who want a greater challenge.

While there may always be exceptions where a kid could be ready for the Spiders even though they’ve yet to play tournament baseball, this will be extremely rare. There is a learning curve for kids who haven’t yet experienced this.

Do You Want Advanced Training?

One of the biggest draws to starting the Spiders was the ability to choose our instructional facility. We’ve long respected Bardo’s — not only do they have the finest state-of-the-art baseball facility in the area, but their coaches are second to none.

Is Your Child Ready to Play 50 Games?

We will decide on a schedule as a team, but we are tentatively planning for around tournaments. With the expectation that we play four or five games per tournament, that puts us in the neighborhood of 50 games — not including scrimmages or fall ball.

Are You Okay with Some Travel?

While we do plan to make one or two out-of-state trips, we do not plan to let this get out of hand. We’re choosing to go to places like Omaha and Arizona in place of a single and expensive trip to Cooperstown.

We also see that there is plenty of competition in-state. However, some of the tournaments (expect 2-4) will be far enough away where overnight stays will be necessary.

Is the Financial Commitment Possible?

Make no mistake, as these kids get older and the competition increases, the costs go up as well. So when we start talking about practicing at a facility like Bardo’s and participating in 12 or so tournaments (some out of state), the costs start going up.

We haven’t finalized costs for the 2016 season yet. However, plan on a base cost of $2,500 without travel expenses.

Keep in mind that we will not be holding unnecessary events that will only increase costs. We will also consider sponsors and fundraising that can help lower the costs.

Will Your Child Be Available for Tryouts?

Our tryouts are July 14 and 16 and Bardo’s in Parker. If you are unavailable at that time, we can arrange a private session.